Vitamin D Deficiency And Zinc

Uncover the crucial link between Vitamin D and zinc! Learn how zinc deficiency affects Vitamin D absorption, impacts immune function, and leads to various health issues. Discover zinc-rich foods and factors influencing zinc absorption.

Why you need zinc to prevent a vitamin D deficiency

Today , I want to talk about a very fascinating relationship between vitamin D and zinc .

The majority of the population on this planet has a vitamin D deficiency .

The vitamin D and zinc connection explained

But what many don’t realize is that the importance of having enough zinc to allow vitamin d to work .

Let’s just pretend this is the receptor and , you also have zinc .

So in order for this receptor to receive Vitamin D , you need Zinc .

Zinc is essential .

If you have a deficiency of zinc , the vitamin receptor will not accept vitamin d .

So many people don’t just have a vitamin d deficiency , they also have a zinc deficiency .

So let’s just talk a little bit more about zinc .

Zinc is the 2nd most abundant trace mineral on this planet , and the first one is iron .

So zinc is really important not just for vitamin d , but for about 28 100 different proteins .

The vitamin D and zinc connection explained

And if you’re deficient in zinc , you can pretty much predict the person’s gonna have a vitamin d deficiency .

And so if you’re exhibiting certain vitamin d Let’s say , for example , your immune system is weak , or you have low back pain , or you’re depressed , or you have high blood pressure , and you’re taking vitamin d , yet you really need zinc , then vitamin d is just not going to work .

Zinc deficiency symptoms

So what does a zinc deficiency look like ?

Well , they can lose their taste or their smell .

They can have low testosterone .

They can have problems with diarrhea .

They can have problems with alopecia where they lose their hair .

They can have various inflammatory problems with their skin .

They can have vision problems , even develop an ulcer .

This is why zinc is really good for digestive ulcers as well as inflammation .

But another really important function with zinc is the immune system .

So if you’re deficient in zinc , you’re very susceptible to having problems with infections and viruses invading the body .

If your zinc is really , really low , you can even develop what’s called , thymus atrophy , where the thymus gland , which is a gland right on top of your heart , it’s a training camp for your t cells , your immune cells .

And so without enough zinc , that thing shrinks and becomes atrophy .

So both zinc and vitamin d are really , really important for the immune system .

Even inside your immune system , there are receptors for both zinc and vitamin d .

So in other words , there’s different parts of your body that can activate vitamin d from the inactive to the active form .

Well , your immune system also does it as well .

It’ll take the inactive vitamin d and convert it into the active vitamin d with the help of zinc .

And that active form of vitamin d is so important in the immune system .

It not only moderates or controls or manages the immune system , but it also protects , like , overreactions of the immune system like a cytokine storm , an anaphylactic shock , something that’s out of control .

Vitamin d is also important in regulating whether someone develops an autoimmune disease or not .

You even have the transformation from a monocyte to a macrophage , In order In order for a monocyte to convert into a macrophage , you need this active form of vitamin d , which is dependent on zinc .

Now , yes , you can take a supplement with zinc .

Just make sure you also have some copper in there .

You have the right balance , and you have other trace minerals .

Foods high in zinc

But let me just kind of go through the foods that are high in zinc .

Oysters , lobster , shrimp , liver , as well as red meat .

Which is interesting , because if you look at all the different organs that zinc is stored in , your muscle is at the top of the list .

Nearly 50% of all the Zinc in your body is stored in your muscles .

So when you eat animal muscle protein , you can get a really good source of zinc .

Zinc deficiency causes

Now let’s talk about what can cause a zinc deficiency .

Well , number 1 is not consuming things high in zinc .

Number 2 , it’s phytates .

Phytates is a chemical in grains .

It’s in legumes , which tend to bind and block the absorption of certain minerals including zinc .

This is why many many children in different parts of the world , because they’re consuming cereal as their main calories , and they develop a lot of problems especially with diarrhea , which is very dangerous because you could die .

When you have chronic diarrhea , you can lose all your minerals , especially the electrolytes to the heart .

And as a side note , zinc is one of the most common deficiencies in pregnancy .

So it’s so important for a pregnant woman to eat healthy and have a variety of foods , not necessarily to do intermittent fasting or anything like that .

But eat the healthy version of the ketogenic diet , which includes a lot of animal protein , fish , things like that .

There’s another condition called sickle cell anemia , which has has a lot of complications , a lot of problems .

But if the person is taking zinc , they have a lot less complications .

Apparently , in sickle cell anemia , the person is usually always deficient in zinc .

There’s a higher zinc demand , and there’s more zinc being excreted through the urine .

Remember , zinc is involved in 28 100 different proteins throughout the body .

So as you can see , the importance of zinc in preventing a vitamin d deficiency .

And on top of that , vitamin d also allows zinc to be transported through the body .

So they’re both dependent on each other .

And zinc is also important for other vitamins too , like the receptor for vitamin a and also the receptor for cortisol , which is the stress hormone .

key Points:

Many people don’t realize that zinc is vital to allow vitamin D to work in the body. If you’re deficient in zinc, the vitamin D receptor won’t accept vitamin D. On the flip side, vitamin D allows zinc to be transported through the body.

Symptoms of zinc deficiency:
• Loss of taste or smell
• Low testosterone
• Diarrhea
• Alopecia
• Inflammatory skin problems
• Vision problems
• Ulcers
• Inflammation
• Poor immunity
• Thymus atrophy

Foods rich in zinc:
• Oysters
• Lobster
• Shrimp
• Liver
• Red meat

Causes of a zinc deficiency:
• Not consuming foods high in zinc
• Consuming phytates (in grains and legumes)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell anemia